Franconia Sculpture Park

I wanted to share what we did as a family over the short holiday break. We visited a fun sculpture park in Franconia, Minnesota. Here are the images we took but if in the area, let me tell you, there is a lot to see. Check out the website to see more.

Click here to view these pictures larger

Matisse's Spring Chick

I did chicks with my mini's at home too. You might have seen the chicks I did with 2nd grade. I experiment with my kids at home all the time. If I can get my 3 year old to make a project successful, It should be good for my Kindergarteners. This is my Mini Matisse's work in the pictures. She is a little artist. You can see we made next as well and that was fun to see her weave. She really 'got' it right away. Wanted to share our Spring decorations with all of you before the season has passed.

Versatile Blogger Award

First, Thanks Hannah from Art, Paper, Scissors, Outside the Lines Young Artists' Studio, Chesterbrook Academy Elementary and my friend Anna Imagine Explore Create from for passing this award on!

7 fun facts about me…

We just were excepted on a house offer and will be moving by the end of this month! Hoo Ray for new starts, and new projects (garden, decorating, organizing)

I have a student teacher right now that I have a small crush on:) Mrs. Nandory is doing a great job!

I'm advisor of student council and we just raised over $700.00 for the Japan relief fund.

I have a wonderful husband of whom I'm very proud of. He has recently finished his first year of his masters. He's quite the perfect match for me:)

I love fireworks.

I read (listened) the whole series of the 'Hunger Games' by Susan Collins recently. I couldn't stop, I just kept listening and listening (book on iPod) until it was finished.

I love sewing with my son. He is 5 years old and is quite the little sewer. I adore my daughters humor, she is three and doesn't even know she is being funny… and that is why I love laughing with her.

I think the last award for my blog was the Stylish Blogger Award. I have a lot of GREAT blogs that I love with that post, be sure to check it out. But for today I would like to mention some different blogs because I love so many of them.

Great Blogs

• Artolazzi
• Teach Preschool
• Diary of a Quilter
• Color and Collage
• 6th Street Designs School
• Jaybird Quilts
• Panther Palette

1. If are awarded the Versatile Blogger Award, please do the following.

2. Thanks the person who gave you the Award

3. Write seven facts about yourself

4. Link seven blogs that you enjoy reading

5. Finally, Contact the blogs you choose to let them know you awarded them this honor.

PosteRazor

My tech geek husband (yes, I too am a tech geek… I know) found this site called PosteRazor and I think it might help with a group picture as my 4th grade cross hatching/hatching project. I think you could use any image, enlarge it to as many pages as you need. It could be a great tool. There is a video (below) that explains a bit more.

Breaking down on the grid...

I had a couple of questions about the 'how' of the grid project for my 4th grade (click here). Here is how I broke it down. It was a little confusing for me (the creator) so I hope I can explain how I did the project. Here is my attempt...

Each student is given a grid and a section of the over all image. On each of the images I placed the same grid (I used a clear transparency over the picture to place the same grid on the image when making copies for the kids). I let them place three sections of the image onto the grid (simply to help them line up their drawing.

Using the sections NOT placed down, the students would draw with pencil using the grid.

Now have the kids use their hatching and cross hatching skills (they already practiced how to use a grid and how to hatch and cross hatch the hour before). I encouraged them to used both methods to give a little broken up look.

The students created each 'poster' with 12 sections. They had to place them together as a team with little help from me. It was fun to see them working as a group to figure out the 'mystery' image. I hope this helped! Let me know if there are more questions.

Hatching and Cross Hatching King Tut

Our 4th grade just got to go to the Science Museum to see the King Tut exhibit. I have not been able to go thus far but I was inspired by their experience.

If you look to the right you will see a close up of our 4th grade hatching and cross hatching lesson. I took a image of King Tut and enlarged the whole piece. Each kid was in charge of a section. I instructed them that they could take 3 sections, cut them out and use them for a guide. The rest of the work they had to hatch and cross hatch. When they were each finished with their work they placed them together and 'solved' the puzzle. They thought it was magic when the pieces fit together an created the full figure.

Not so angry chicks...

Aren't these fun! These are some spring chicks that my second grade made but many of my students are calling them angry birds after a app that a lot of them play. I love the different personalities on all these cute birds. I tried three different methods on these. Some are just a pinch pot with a beak and tail. Another class we added two balls of clay for the eyes. Yet one other class we added two holes and used pipe cleaners for legs. The kids had a fun time making them and I have heard a lot of positive comments. Good Job 2nd grade!

Ruler Eye

You know those people you just click with… Well, I have one working in my room right now. My student teacher is funny and creative. I'm having a blast learning from her and getting her great perspective on education!

She has been watching me work on one point perspective with my 5th grade and I was going on and on about how you have to use a ruler to make the lines and how all art teachers have a super power or seeing when student haven't been using the ruler. Well this is a cute gift that she made me over the weekend. (to see it better click here)

This is a 'Ruler Eye' certificate. It that I have had ruler training for approximately 10 hours, it state topics include potential hazardous of ruler use, hands on training… and so on. It is really funny and the kids couldn't tell if I was joking or not because she made it look so professional.

Loving your job make it fun, if you are having fun, the kids are too. I'm glad Ms. N knows how important it is to have a good time and still be professional. She is going to make a great teacher!

Inkblot

WINNER!!! Thanks so much to Kathy Barbro from Art Projects for Kids. She awarded me the new book, INK BLOT by Margaret Peot. I LOVE the book!!!! I can't wait to try all the projects in the book. I will be posting the results when I have some pictures! HOW fun!!! Thanks Kathy.

GREAT idea's from smART class!

HUGE shout out to smART class for full inspiration of this project!

I placed my 5th grade in groups of 3 or 4. I brought them through the prezi I made for this project, please see below. I asked them to use shapes and lines to draw three Artist Trading Cards. Then I asked them to discuss with their group what they liked about the each ATC and collaborate their ideas. Day two they filled out a worksheet helping them work as a team and started drawing together on a large format. Day three they painted the black line of the drawing. Finally, They worked together to create a monochromatic piece. As a review I brought them into the lab and had them fill our a google form, self reflection and group reflection. We were inspired by the modern mural that we watched in the prezi so we create our own video or us working hard. Check it out!

5th Grade Video

5th Grade Presentation

Hip Hop Kandinsky Murals on Prezi

Self Reflection/Group Reflection

I had to share!

I don't know if someone who has never lived in the midwest or similar climate could really understand what spring means to us. Yesterday was the first time in 6 months that we were above 60 degrees. Because of that, the kids were in a great mood, I was in a great mood, my student teacher was in a great mood. This all added up to make the best day of my teaching career. REALLY! Let me just share one little snippet of my day…

At the beginning of the my kindergarten hour we always do a 'talking brush'. We pass a brush around and say our name and I give them a question to answer. It is my favorite part of the day for my K's because it give me a chance to hear from everyone of those little guys. The question of the day was WHO DO YOU KNOW WHO IS VERY OLD? (we are getting ready to draw ourself when we are 100 years old).

'C' (we'll call the first student) got the talking brush and said, "My name is C, and I know my grandma." The bush was passed to another student who's name is 'Z'. After hearing 'C' response, 'Z' said, "My name is 'C'…". Well... in Kindergarten humor this was a winner! The whole class was laughing out loud! He was laughing too! He mixed up his own name and we were all laughing and having fun because of it.

Once the talking brush went around to the rest of the class, 'Z' raised his hand again, and said, "Mrs. Hahn, do you remember when I said my name was 'C'?" Because I have a memory of more the thee minutes, I responded with, "Yes, 'Z', I do." He explained that he said 'C' because 'C' is his best friend and he always thinks about 'C' and he has a lot of fun with his friend 'C'… then he place his arm around his best friend in the world. My student teacher and I could hardly hold back our smiles for the rest of the day.

This good day was brought to me by the spring weather of Minnesota!

Weaving with small mini's

Weaving fun! I was setting up for my 1st grade to weave and my daughter asked what I was doing. I explained that my students are weaving, she wanted to try. I stet the loom and tried her little hands with craft sticks… She is a weaving fool now, and want's to show her montessori class.

You can use any firm cardboard for a loom. I wrap the warp around all the way around the loom. I think this makes it easier for taking it off the loom later.

I found that the craft sticks worked well for the weft because it was a firm material. You can use any number of things for the weft however.

Once the string is cut from the loom, you can tie the piece off. This part may need some help. I tied two or three string together at the bottom craft stick. Then I tighten them together and tied the other side off.

FYI:

image from this site...

April Fools…

… a couple days late but wanted to share… My son shared 'eggs and bacon' with his friends on April first. Fun little project for the kids and parents…

Place wax paper on a cookie sheet. Spoon out some melted white chocolate in blobs. Have the kids place on yellow M&M and two pretzel sticks in the chocolate. When cooled, they are delicious!